Day 1: Read Matthew 7:7. Those verbs — ask, seek, knock — can be translated from the original Greek as "Keep on asking; keep on seeking; keep on knocking". It's not a one time request. It's a continual prayer. What prayers do you find yourself persistently praying? What leads you to stop praying about something? What leads you to constantly pray for something?

Day 2: Read Luke 18:38-39. I don't know how much Bartimaeus knew about Jesus...what stories he had heard...but when Jesus came his way he made up his mind that he would not let this opportunity slip away. He immediately began to call on the name of Jesus, and he continued to call on the name of Jesus until Jesus heard him. When do you take opportunity to pray for God? Is there a scheduled time? A continual conversation? Last resort or first option? Why?

Day 3: Read Genesis 24:12-14. How does Abraham’s servant give details in his prayer? Why is he so specific? When do you find yourself praying in generalities to God? In detail? How might your prayers today have greater detail?

Day 4: Read Luke 18:41. Picture Jesus asking you, “What do you want me to do for you?” Spend some time pondering your answer. Be specific, not general. Then turn that answer into your prayer.

Day 5: Read Philippians 4:6. The greatest lesson I have learned in prayer is to pray God’s Word. Take time this day to personalize this verse into your prayer. Confess your anxieties and turn them over to God. Be specific in requests and petitions -- humble and detailed in your thanksgiving. Then as you turn all this over to God, ask for His peace, His presence and plan at work in your life.

Day 6:Read 1 Peter 5:7. I like that Peter used the word cast. It means to throw. That's a good idea. Intellectually toss your worries as far away from your mind as you can. Drop them into the sea of God's mercy and tender loving care. Perhaps you have 100 things to worry about right now. At least. 100 difficult situations — some of them are nipping at your heels, and maybe some of them have you by the throat. One by one, as these cares present themselves to you, you need to make a spiritual decision to cast them as far as you can into God's direction — He will take care of them for you, because he has promised to take care of you.

Day 1: Read Philippians 4:5. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being “no gentleness” to 10 being “gentleness evident to all”, how would you rate your contagious calm the last 24 hours? With family? While driving? When the lawn mower wouldn’t start? When it finally did? Other?

Day 2: Read Proverbs 15:1. The volume and tone of your words can stir people up or calm them down. How have you noticed the impact of the volume and tone of words in what someone has said to you? In what you said to someone else?

Day 3: Read Philippians 4:5. You are not alone. You may feel alone. You may think you are alone. But there is never a moment in which you face life without help. God is near. God repeatedly pledges His proverbial presence to His people. Where have you sensed God being near in the past 24 hours? Where do you need to remind yourself God is near?

Day 4: Read Psalm 118:6-7. When are you tempted to fear people more or the things of this world than remember your faith in God? As you go throughout the day, pray this short prayer of assurance: “The LORD is with me!”

Day 5: Read Philippians 4:5. God asks you today, “Do you trust Me?” Contagious calm flows from a trusting relationship with Him and living with an awareness of His presence. How would you answer God’s question today, “Do you trust Me?”

Day 6: Read Psalm 118:1. Not “His love endures for a moment”, or “His love was present a long time ago”, not “His love present when everything is easy”. You can trust God because He is good, and His love endures forever. Write down five ways you have seen His goodness and experienced His enduring love this week.

Day 1: Read Isaiah 26:3. Anxiety spikes when we seek to be in control of our own lives. To rejoice always, we must trust that God is in control in a world out of control. Where does life feel out of control today? Spend some time in prayer turning any anxiety into a prayer to trust God and to receive His peace.

Day 2: Read Matthew 6:25-27. A Swedish proverb says, "Worry often gives small things a big shadow." When we worry, we tend to over-emphasize the significance of less-than-significant things. Take a look at your worries. Write them down. Where are they casting a big shadow? How might you follow Jesus’ advice today to look at how God cares for a part of His creation as a reminder that He cares for you?

Day 3: Read Matthew 6:32-33. The Hawaiian word for anxiety means “no breath”. The Latin word for anxiety means “to choke” or “to squeeze”. What’s choking your life right now? What are you chasing that’s squeezing you tight and leaving you anxious? Why are you running after things God already knows you need? Where do you need to adjust your priorities to seek God’s Kingdom first?

Day 4: Read Matthew 6:34. I love this verse. You have enough going on today, you don’t need to worry or be anxious about tomorrow. Where have you seen God at work in your day for the past 24 hours? Where do you need to see Him at work in your life right now?

Day 5: Read Philippians 4:4. To rejoice is to return to the source of your joy. What is the source of your joy? How are you doing at returning to that source each day? What keeps you from rejoicing always? What helps you to rejoice always?

Day 6: Read Philippians 4:5. The secret to joy is that the Lord is near. That means He’s coming back one day to take us to heaven. That also means He’s here with you right now. Where do you need to be reminded that the Lord is near? As you look back at the past week, how are you doing in rejoicing always? All the time? Most of the time? Once in a while? Today in prayer return to the source of your joy – Jesus. Share your worries and anxieties, your hopes and your dreams, most of all let Him share His great love for you.